The life of Ralph, Natascha and our cats

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Star 2012 -2013

I am really upset this morning as Star has just died this Monday morning in the veterinary hospital in Ronda, Spain. Here is her story :

Just before Christmas last year Hilda rung me to say that she drove past my apartment and there was a kitten in the street below and could I take a look at it. I went down and saw this bag of bones. Even in her condition she was so sweet as she came up to me nuzzling on my leg. I took her home and she was immediately sick bringing up purple liquid with a huge chunk of dog food. Her first poo had more worms than poo. David and Hilda took her to the vet and over time was treated for worms. She ate well, proper cat food this time. She loved milk but had to stop when I was told that cow’s milk is bad for cats.

A couple of weeks passed and the owners of Star created a scene in the street demanding Star to be returned to them. I laid into them after they refused an offer from me to buy her from them. In the end I walked away and told them that there was no way that Star would ever be returned to them. Her whole function was to be a rat catcher in the farm. She was not fed and lived on bugs, grasshoppers and anything that she could find. Poor thing !!

I looked after her as a house cat, who never went beyond the balconies, for 9 months. She was always playing , hiding, sleeping and loved to rip my legs to bits as she jumped up to go to sleep on my lap. Within days she became another member of my family of cats.

Star asleep on my lap

On Saturday morning she was her normal self. I noticed, just after noon, that she looked drowsy, her head and tail down. Over the next few hours she wouldn’t eat or drink her water. Sunday morning came and she couldn’t walk. So I called in the local vet, a new young lady called Clara, who recommended that I take her to the vet hospital immediately. Pedro and I arrived there with Star.

The vet did his tests and said that Star’s kidneys were infected and hugely oversize. He administered a drip and kept her in. On phoning this morning the vet told us that she had died just a few moments ago.

So Star. I will miss you dearly. Rest in Peace my little one !! 😥

Ralph xox 😥

PS. Thank you to David & Hilda for your help and advice in raising Star. Also another big thank you to Toni & Pedro who made the phone calls to the vet, drove Star and myself to the hospital and went to the bank to pay the vet’s fees. Thank you.

I am so sad to hear this dear Ralph, I know this feeling when I lost my cat, but they are now in the cat’s heaven… I do believe this… They are great gift for human, for us, always make us happy. Rest in Peace… Thanks and Love, nia

I believe this as well. Pets, as many other animals have souls and have as much right to heaven as humans. I am sure that Star will be there to greet me when my turn comes. Your comment is lovely Nia. Ralph xox 😥

Thank you my friend for your lovely words. Sometimes blogging and real life do not mix well. While we were fooling around in my previous post I did not know one way or the other the outcome of Star’s treatment. At the time our little bit of fun was a welcome distraction. So I must thank you Gallivanta for that at least. Ralph xox 😥

Well, I am glad I could be of some help. One tends to feel incredibly helpless in situations involving the illness of our pets. We can only hope they can sense our genuine care and love for them and our wish to ease their suffering.

You have brought back memories of her Sylvia. Remember the post when I lost Star and couldn’t find her ? After almost tearing the apartment apart I eventually found her curled up in an empty flower pot, totally oblivious of the worry she caused. Hehe !! 😀 Thanks my friend. Ralph xox 😥

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

So very sorry Ralph. 😦 I know just how sad you feel, and shocked. We lost a cat in what sounds like a very similar way. He suddenly got sick and took him to the vet and then just died. The vet thought it was kidneys.
Sounds like Star was very blessed – something guided her to you in the first place.
Sometimes our love is only needed for a short time, but it’s needed just the same.

Then I must know exactly as you felt at the time of your loss. In such similar circumstances too !!! I feel very privileged to have looked after Star for a short time and I will miss her a lot. Ralph xox 😥

I am so sorry Ralph. Such a beautiful little shining Star. I can only say that you gave her a wonderful life when she was rescued by you. A life that would not have been lived, even though short, had you not nursed her to health and given her love and kindness.

For what it is worth, I choose to believe that our pets have souls because they have been in close association with humans. I believe they have an other worldly presence that is out there in space. They are part of the air we breathe, the rain that falls, the birds that sing.

She is your guardian angel now- the perfect Star who will continue to guide you. She will return to you as another waif from the streets. I can assure you of that. Star came into your life for a reason. Maybe her gift to you was that you changed in ways that you have not been aware.

Now lest you think I am totally nuts- that is ok. I reckon that is my way of dealing with grief. There are several poems on my site under pet loss. There is one that I wrote for my daughter back in 1999. I will send it to you via email.

Ralph, please take comfort in her memory and of knowing that you did all that you could for that precious kitty. I know that it cuts into your heart and hurts like hell. Again, I am so very sorry for your loss.

I really do hope and pray that she is now in a better place waiting for me. I don’t want to be selfish, but could I cope with another cat again? I still love my other two cats. They are about 10 years old now which is about 6 years longer than living with their feral mother eating out of rubbish skips. I really need to take a vacation and leaving my cats, even with friends to come in and feed them, is still a worry. Knowing me, how can I refuse to take in another Star !!!

I am looking forward to your email containing the poem you wrote to your daughter. Ralph xox 😥

I hope you don’t mind Yvonne. I would like to put your email in this reply. The poem is so good. Thank you my friend 😀

Dear friend,

I am very sad for you and sad that Star’s life was so short. Cats are very specia to me and I know that yours are to you. Those that have been rescued by us become extra special. Try to get away when you have collected your thoughts. Leave detailed care instructions with the caretakers and make sure they check on the cats 3 times daily and where to take one should the cat become ill. Take care and you are in my thoughts.

Maybe you can find some comfort in these words and maybe not. The poem is not polished as I am far from being a poet.

The Day You Told Me Goodbye

It was fate and destiny that led you my way
Thank you dear Lisa for finding me that day
You rescued me as a wild, dying kitten and gave me life
I shared your good times, the bad times, your pain, and strife
My life with you was filled with warmth and tender care
And other pets whose love for you, I could share
I am gone now, you told me goodbye- please don’t be sad
Remember the happiness we shared together and be glad
The mornng I left you, my breath became the wind that gave me wings,
To live on in spirit and in the wind that sings
I will touch your face as a warm raindrop on a summer day
You’ll hear my purr as a hummingbird darting among the flowers of May
I am still following you with footsteps that you can not hear
For I am your guardian angel now and I will always be near
I am free and wild again but I’m with you in my spirit though we are apart
You will see me again in other pets who will know the goodness of your heart
I will live on in the beauty of a butterfly and in the music of the wind
And one day you’ll find me as a tiny kitten in need, waiting to be your friend.

So sorry to hear about Star. I am glad that she had a good home in your care. I am sure Star appreciated it. Cats and dogs can always know who the good people are and you are one of them to care for her. Rest in Peace, Star.
Peace!!!

Thank you for your very touching comment Beth which I must add to all the other wonderful comments about Star. So many of you are looking after or lost pets and my heart goes out to you. Even though they are a different species, they become a part of, or take over family life, and their loss can be as traumatic as losing a human family member especially to someone living on their own such as myself. Ralph xox 😥

This is the hardest part, but I promise it gets better. After all the sadness you eventually find peace, it’s almost as though your connection is still there just on another level. I lost my first pet this year, and I think it’s amazing how happy such a little soul can make us. I hope you can find your peace soon.

Ralph, I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved Star, I am sure she was a light in your life but now that light shines up in Heaven….just think that you gave her a wonderful life with you where she she knew love, warmth and had a home….and all the love she gave to you in return….what a gift to receive…..hugs sent from across the pond…

Bless you, Ralph, for taking in Star and doing so much for her. It makes me cry that she is gone. I remember the stories you told about her, and even in this short time, you meant a lot to you and you took such care of you. She is now a star in heaven. I have cats, and I still miss Malcolm, the cat I had for almost 19 years, even though he’s been gone three years.

Thank you so much for your loving and caring comment my friend. I know that it hurt you so much when you lost your pet. I am so sorry.
It’s past midnight and Star would normally be laying beside my laptop watching the cursor move with her front paws on the edge of the laptop. I don’t normally watch the screen as I type, just the keys. One time her paw pressed Caps Lock and I typed almost a whole comment in Caps Lock On. Memories !! Ralph xox 😥

Thank you so much for your lovely words my friend. My heart is filled with your kindness.
Sorry I was so long in replying. I had Pepi, a lady painter in the apartment for a couple of days painting doors and shelves. Today she was working near my laptop. Like most trades in the village work is pretty much non-existent. I heard that she was honest but broke, so I gave her a couple of days unnecessary work. It’s a shame I couldn’t help her more but all the painting is done here. I hope she gets more work as she may be starving. When she left I had a siesta. 6 hours later I woke up. So here I am, answering your lovely comments. Ralph xox 😥

It’s my pleasure, Ralph. You are such a dear person to help Pepi with some work. I’m sure that has made all the difference to her. You are kindhearted soul, Ralph, doing a good deed. Big hug and kiss!! Amy xo

So sad you lost Star. Just found out now. I watched her video, such a cute sweet kitty.

We rescued a cat, Malachi, here where we live. Like you, his owner showed up and demanded him back. He had been abused, his mouth was injured and they had partly shaved him as he is a longhair and filled with worms. We like you, refused and walked away and went inside. They left. Good for you to stand up to the owner who never fed her and demanded she mouse for survival. I think she will be there waiting for you.

Brilliant. Well done Steve in standing up to the owner and taking in Malachi. He must be the one you take for walks on a lead. A lovely cat. I tried to copy you with Star but I couldn’t clip the tiny connectors on her harness, so had to give that idea up. Love to you, AJ and Malachi. Ralph xox 😀

This is so sad. I’m so sorry that Star has died. What a horrible thing to have happened and with no warning. Please try to get some comfort from the fact that you gave her a wonderfully happy last 9 months of her life. I’m sure she absolutely adored you and appreciated everything that you did for her. Poor Ralph, losing much loved pets is really tough and I do sympathise 😦 Big Hugs to you, Lottie xxx

Hi Lottie my friend. Thank you so much for your kind words. It’s time I moved on. It’s been 36 hours since I lost Star and it’s time I published a funny post. It will do me good as well as my readers. I hope you are smashing down the hurdles that are hindering your move. Ralph xox 😀

Oh so sad. 😥
Sorry to hear about your Star.
What wonderful wonderful & loving heart you have for taking her in, caring for her, & fighting to keep her. She lived a much better life while she was alive because of you.
xo Abrazos xo

Ralph, I am so sorry for Star! 😦 I know how painful it is to loose a dear one. I’m also so so very proud of you to have taken care of her so well. To have taken her under your angel wings and not agreed to give it bak to those bloody bastards.

Oh, Ralph, I am so sad to hear this. It has been heavy on my mind for days to write to you but have been unable to untangle myself from catching up everyone’s schoolwork long enough to do so – until this morning… and then this news 😦

You must be devastated, and my heart goes out to you. I really have trouble thinking this has happened. In my mind Star is always on your lap, although I remember the time she got lost and you found her in a jar. I’ll always smile when I think of the two of you!

Hi Lyann my friend. So lovely to hear from you. I do understand the pressure you are under but I am so pleased that you made this comment about Star. I do miss her warmth on my lap. 😦
I hope you are all well now and that everyone is happy at home. Ralph xox 😀

What a lovely kitty, and how wonderful she had you to care for her. I am thinking she might be chasing around Heaven our little mouse “Kitty-Snickers” who died last week…I would hope they might become good friends rather than dinner partners 🙂

How are the other kitties doing? I’m certain they feel your sorrow. Cats are such empathetic creatures, although many people don’t believe that. I hope all of you are doing well and that life brightens again soon for you.

We are all feeling much better, thank you, especially since we are nearly caught up with all the backlog of schoolwork. Definitely we will be happier when it’s all complete, but we are happy at home now 🙂

We all send our love, Ralph, and the children said to give you big hugs, as best as can be done over the internet… ❤

I expect Star and Kitty Snickers are having fun. Your mouse must have been a sad loss to you all. My other cats are fine though when Samantha is playful she has been running around the apartment looking in the places Star usually went. We are starting to get used to Star not being around. Without her the place is more quiet.
Good to hear that you are happy at home and thanks for all your hugs which I am so pleased to return 😀

Oh Ralph, I am so sorry. I loved Star, too. I think we all did. It was such a beautiful story of Rags to Riches with Ralph. I don’t have any words, Ralph. I’m just sad. Here’s a hug from your friend. I can’t even put a smiley face. xoxox

So sad for your loss of Star. She was beautiful. You must feel good that you gave her a great life that otherwise she would never have had. Be proud of yourself, that you did the best you could for her. Huge hugs.

These words of yours Sandra are so kind and touching. Thank you my friend. I would like you to read The Presents of Presence comment (above) about the Rainbow Bridge as it may help you with your loss of Peaches. Wonderful words. Ralph xox 😥

I’m so sorry for your loss! I love the video : ) Star looked so happy! We have a little black kitty who adopted us last year . . . and Lightning makes 4 cats for us : ) He was pretty scrawny and just a baby when he showed up. He’s quite healthy now and very rambunctious : )

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